Electrical switch.



.PATENTED JAN. 8, 1907 J E. MORRN. ELECTRICAL SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, 1905.

W. W. E w WW GaVZ/ITJNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT anion.

JOHN MORRIS, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWARD GLAZE, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

ELECTRICAL SWITCH.

To (all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. MORRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus,"in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Switches, of which the following is a specification.

1 My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in electrical switches, and more particularly to an electrical switch for illunnnating purposes.

The object of the invention is to provide a switch so constructed as to prevent sticking of the contact parts, thus obviating the necessity of employing a lubricant, which is generally necessary.

Another feature lies in the arrangement of the parts, whereby all the operating parts are free from contact with the current.

A still further point of novelty resides in opening and closing the circuit by double contact-points operating in succession, so that sticking is obviated and flashing prevented to a certain degree.

Finally, the object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described that will be strong, durable, and efiicient and one in which the several parts will not be liable to get out of working order.

WVith the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the novel details of construction and operation, a preferable em bodiment of which is described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the switch. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with one of the springs broken away to illustrate the construction lying therebeneath, and F 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through one of the switch members on the line 00 ac of Fig. 1.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates the base, of,suitable non-conducting material, on which the switch parts are mounted.

It is to be understood that any number of circuits maybe opened and closed by my switch, it being necessary to provide a switch member for each circuit, and as these switch members" and their parts are of substantially the same construction a description of one will sufiice for the rest.

Mounted on the base and spaced apart are suitable contact-plates2 and 2, which are Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed July 28,1905- Serial No. 271,590.

7 Patented Jan. 8, 1907.

tact Z, composed, preferably, of a number of copper strips bearing at each end on the plates. The bridge contact is supported at the lower end of a hanger 8 on a washer 9, of suitable non-conducting material, through which is passed a screw 10, (hiven into place in the hanger. The screw passes through the copper strips, but is insulated therefrom by a bushing -11, which also passes through a spring bow 12, arranged over the bridge and insulated from thehanger by a strip of nonconducting material 13. The screw 10 thus serves to hold the parts closely together and securely in position on the lower end of the hanger. The spring-bow 12 has its opposite ends turned under, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. On the undbrturned ends of the spring-bow carbon contactblocks 14 are securely fastened by bolts 15.

current thus not only passing from one plate to the other. through the bridge 7, but also throughthspring-bow 12. The elasticity of the bow tends to hold the blocks 14 in contact with the plates 2 and 2, thus allowing the bridge 7 to be raised off of the contactplates a short distance before the said blocks are raised. In this manner when it is desired to open the circuit and the bridge is raised out of contact with the plates there is no tendency on the part of the contact parts to stick, as the circuit is still closed through the carbon blocks 14 and the spring-bow 12, and when the hanger 8 is raised high enough to pull the blocks off the contact-plates, completing the opening of the. circuit, there of course will be no sticking on account of the nature of the blocks and also the flashing or sparking will be reduced to a minimum. It is to be observed that both the bridge 7 and the spring-bow 12 are thoroughly insulated from the hanger 8, thus preventing the our These carbon blo cks contact with the plates 2 and 2 the 50 tion of the springs 19, which at the same time u 5 effects.

rent from passing over the same or any of the 1 other parts which are about to be described. 5 For raising and lowering the hanger 8 to i en and'close the circuit 1 pivotally support 1 t e sareat the extreme ends oflevers 16 and 17, pivotally connected to a bifurcated post 18, theleyer 16 being connected to the upper ends of the hanger and t e post, while the lever 17 is. arranged so 6 distance below.

Coiled springs 19 are connected with the lever 17 and the upper end of the post 18 and tensionedso as to swing the levers upward. 0n the lever: 16, near the post 18, a curved arm 20 is adjustably mounted, having a 5 bifurcated end and carrying a roller 21, preferably formed of a suitable non-conducting material. This roller projects into the path of segmehtalcam-pieces 22, arranged on the outer periphery of a drum 23. It is to be un- 26 derstood that'th'e drum 23 may be of any width, according to the number of circuits and switch members employed. In the 1 drawings I have shown four switch members. Consequentlyfour rollers 2 1 are provided ,each

5 roller projecting into thepath of two cams arranged on the drums. The cams may be arranged ,as desired and at different points,

so as to open and close different circuits at diiferent predetermined times or points.

' 3 The cams are provided with rounded and reduced ends, so that the rollers will readily ride thereon and roll off thereof sharply. When one of the cams asses under the roller, it will of course be orced away from the 3 5 drum, and being secured to the lever 16 will force the same downward, thus moving the lever 17 and the hanger 8 downward against the tension of the springs 19. The blocks 14, hanging lower than the bridge 7, will first en- 4 gage with the metallic contact-plates '2 and 2*, thus closing the circuit, and as the cam continues to force the roller away from the drum the bridge 7 will be brought into contact with the plates and the circuit thus 5 finally closed, the parts remaining in these positionh as the cam continues to pass under the roller until its end finally passes from the roller, when the same will drop or be forced against the periphery of the drum by the acswings the levers and the hanger 8 upward. This upward movement of the hanger of coursefirst raises the bridge 701i the contactplates, then raises the blocks out of con- 5 5' tact with said plates, thus opening or breaking the circuit, which condition exists until the second cam encounters the roller, when the closing operation. is completed. Itwill be apparent that owing to the high resistance 60 of the carbon blocks the contact-bridge of low resistance is necessary and produces a more positive conductor when brought into contact with the plates, althoyi h the blocks will close the circuit without an? detrimental it will be apparent that the rapidity with which the drumis revolved will govern the opening and closing of the various circuits and that the drum may be revolved by any suitable means, and l have shown in the drawings one manner of imparting motion thereto. The drum 23, as shown, consists of a cylinder braced at each end by spiders 24,

through which projects a shaft 25. The shaft 25 is supported in the bearing-boxes 26 .of suitable standards 27., mounted on the a base 1.

A yoke-hanger 28 is engaged about one of the bearing-boxes and supports a worm-screw 29, which may be driven by any suitable means, such as a pulley 30. The w'orniscrew meshes with a worm-gear 31, fixed on the shaft 25. The power thus transmitted to the pulley 30 will revolve the worm-screw 29, which in turn will revolve the worm-wheel 31, thus imparting motion to the drum 23, and the speed of the drum can of course be regulated by the speed of the worm screw and gear. By arranging the hanger 28 on the bearing-box it is apparent that the same may be-swung on the bearingbox so as to cause the worm-screw 29 to stand at different angles to the base 1, it being shown in the drawings as lying parallel to the base; but it is apparent that by swinging the hanger'on the bearing-boX the wormscrew may be caused to project at right angles to the base and that suitable means may be provided for locking the hanger in position on the said bearing-box.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the characterdescribed, the combination with a base, of a fixed sup port mounted upon said base, a pair of parallel arms pivoted to said fixed support, a hanger to which the free ends of said parallel arms are pivoted, a spring adapted to lift said arms and said hanger, a pa1r of separated contact-plates mounted upon the base, a connecting member carried by the hanger and adapted to connect said plates when said hanger is at its lowest limit of movement, a rotative member, cams carried by said rotative member, an arm carried by one of the pivoted parallel arms, and an antifrictionroller carried by said arm and adapted to be engagedby said cams.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a base, a fixed support, a pair of parallel arms pivoted to said fixed support, a hanger to which the free ends of said arms are pivotally connected, a spring one end of which is connected to said support and the other end of which is connected to one of the parallel arms, means for intermittently forcing said arms downwardly against the tension of said spring, separated contact-plates, a plurality of contact mem L hers carried bv the han er and ada ted to connect said contact-plates -when the hanger is at its lowest limit of movement, a member carried by one of the parallel pivoted arms, and a roller carried by said member.

3. Ina device of the character described, the combination with a base, of a fixed sup port, a pair of parallel arms pivoted to said fixed s11 pport, a hanger to which the free ends of said arms are pivoted, contact-plates, a plurality of contact members carried by the hanger and adapted to connect said contactpiates when the hanger is at its lowest limit of movement, means for lifting said hanger and said contact members from the contactplates, a roller supported from one of the pair of p:- allel arms pi oted to said fixed E support, haiwer to which the free ends ofi l I I" said arms are pivoted, a pair of separated Z contzu."-'piates, a Contact member carried by pivoted parallel arms, and members adapted 5 to intermittently engage said roller to force the hanger downward.

4. In a (l8V1C6 of the character described the combination with a fixed support, of a I said hanger and adapted to connect said con- 2 5 tact-plates, a resilient member for withdrawing said contact member from said contactplares, a member connected to one of the pivoted parallel arms, rotative member, and members carried by said rotative mein- 0 her and adapted to engage the member car ried by the pivoted parallel a m to force said arms downwardly'or against the tension of the resilient member.

in tes imon s' whereof I at in presence or two Witnesses.

JOHN \Vitnesses:

A. LPHELrs, M. B. SCHLEY.

1 my signature 3 5 E. MORRIS. 

